Hood latch



C. R. NASH Feb. 22, 1966 HOOD LATCH 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 27. 1961 INVENTOR. (kg/V6!" 7?. Was/f. 94 BY d id FTTd T/VEYS.

Feb. 22, 1966 Filed Feb. 27, 1961 C. R. NASH HOOD LATCH 4 Sheets-Sheet IS INVENTOR. fuzz 6r 777 Was/Q BY Hm HTTJFNEKS,

Feb. 22, 1966 c. R. NASH 3,236,551

HOOD LATCH Filed Feb. 27, 1961 1 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. (Ev/Var 75? W 1 F Td A/EY5,

United States Patent F 3,236,551 HOOD LATCH Culver R. Nash, Royal Oak, Mich., assignor to Chrysler Corporation, Highland Park, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Filed Feb. 27, 1961, Ser. No. 91,806 3 Claims. (Cl. 29211) This invention relates to latch mechanisms and in particular to a manually releasable latch device suitable for locking an automobile rear deck lid or engine hood in a closed position.

An object of the invention is to provide a comparatively simple and economically fabricated and assembled locking device of the above character which readily locks automatically upon closing of the hood or lid, and which comprises a safety catch cooperable with a resiliently biased and readily manually actuated release mechanism Another object is to provide such a mechanism wherein a simple manually actuated release lever unlocks both the safety catch and a main latch.

Still another object is to provide such a locking mechanism wherein the safety catch also serves as the release lever for unlocking the mechanism.

Other objects of this invention will appear in the following description and appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary mid-sectional view through a vehicle front hood and latching mechanism.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken in the direction of the arrows substantially along the line 22 of FIGURE 1, showing the latch mechanism in the latching position. 0 FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view similar to FIGURE 2, but with portions of the safety catch broken away to show details of construction.

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 3, showing the latch mechanism in the unlatching position.

FIGURE 5 is an elevational view of the safety catch.

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken in the direction of the arrows substantially along the line 6--6 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 7 is a transverse vertical sectional view through the front end of a vehicle front hood showing a modification of the present invention.

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the latch mechanism of FIGURE 7 in side elevation as seen from the right side.

FIGURE 9 is an enlarged view of the reinforcing link remove-d from FIGURE 7.

FIGURE 10 is a fragmentary sectional view taken in the direction of the arrows substantially along the line 1010 of FIGURE 8, showing the latch mechanism of FIGURE 7 in the latching position with the reinforcing link removed.

FIGURE 11 is a view similar to FIGURE 10, but showing the mechanism in the unlatching position.

FIGURE 12 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view taken in the direction of the arrows substantially along the line 12-12 of FIGURE 7.

FIGURE 13 is a fragmentary sectional view taken in the direction of the arrows substantially along the line 13-13 of FIGURE 7.

FIGURE 14 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view taken in the direction of the arrows substantially along the broken line 14-14 of FIGURE 7.

FIGURE 15 is a view similar to FIGURE 8, showing the mechanism in the unlatching position.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and ar- 3,236,551 Patented Feb. 22, 1966 rangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

Referring to the drawings, an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated by way of example in application with the vertically swinging hood at the front end of an automobile body. A support panel 22 is suitably secured to the front end of the hood 20 and is secured to the horizontal flanges 24 and 26 of a vertical depending latch plate 28 by means of bolts 30, FIGURES 1 and 3. In the present instance, the plate 28 extends transversely of the vertical mid-plane of the vehicle and j is provided with an integral forwardly extending flange 32 parallel to said vertical mid-plane and comprising an integral reinforcing web underlying the flange 26. A flange 34 of a swinging release lever 36 extends parallel to the flange 32 and is pivoted thereto by a pivot pin 38 having oppositely flared ends. From the pivot 38, the lever 36 extends forwardly to a finger grip portion 40 immediately underlying the forward end of the hood 20. Rearwardly of the pivot 38, the lever 36 terminates in a projection 42 underlying a fixed stop 44 integral with the plate 28 and limiting counterclockwise pivoting of lever 36 from the position shown in FIGURE 1.

The lower edge of the plate 28 is provided with a central keeper-receiving notch 46 which opens downwardly by means of diverging edges 48 effective to engage and cam a keeper 50 into the slot 46 upon downward closing of the hood 20. The keeper 50 comprises a rod having a down-turned forward end 52 and is secured rearwardly to an arm 54 suitably secured to a fixed bracket 56 of the vehicle body by means of bolts 58 extending through elongated adjusting bolt holes 60 in the bracket 54.

A main latch 62 is pivotally mounted on the plate 28 by means of a horizontal pivot pin 64 extending parallel to the mid-plane of the vehicle at a location above and to the left of notch 46. Below the pivot 64 the catch 62 is provided with a keeper engaging cam 66 spaced from a lower keeper engaging jaw 68. The main portion of the cam 66 declines to the right in FIGURE 4 beyond the pivot 64 and jaw 68 and overlies keeper 50 so as to be engaged by the later upon closing of the hood 20, thereby the swing catch 62 counterclockwise in FIGURE 4 to the latching position of FIGURES 2 and 3 whereat keeper 50 is snugly confined between the cam 66 above and the jaw 68 below.

The catch 62 is resiliently urged clockwise to the unlatching position of FIGURE 4 to the limit permitted by a stop 69 integral with plate 28 by means of a coil spring 70. The latter is connected under tension with an arm 72 of catch 62 and an arm 74 of a pawl 76 pivoted on plate 28 by means of a pivot pin 78. In their unlatching positions, arm 74 extends upwardly from pivot 78, whereas arm 72 extends upwardly and leftwardly from pivot 64 generally oppositely from the cam 66 and engages stop 69. As illustrated in FIGURE 4, the pivots 64 and 78 are located at opposite sides of the vertical line through keeper 50, the pivot 78 being located somewhat above pivot 64, so that the spring 70 yieldingly urges catch 62 clockwise and pawl 76 counterclockwise.

At a location between pivot 64 and the attachment of arm 72 with spring 70, the catch 62 is provided with a shoulder 80 which extends horizontally in the unlatching position, FIGURE 4, and comprises an abutment underlying a leftwardly extending arm 82 of pawl 76. As illustrated, the shoulder 80 comprises a movement limiting stop for pawl 76 holding the latter at the position illustrated in FIGURE 4 against the counterclockwise rotation urged by spring 70. The shoulder 80 terminates at the right in the rounded nose 84 formed at the outer end of a concave seat portion 86 of the catch 62 underlying shoulder 80 and being substantially concentric with the pivot 78 when in the latching position of FIGURE 3. The upper and leftward edge of arm 82 is rounded at 88 concentrically with surface 86 when in the latching posi tion. It is accordingly apparent that the rounded nose 84 comprises ademarcation between the shoulders 80 and 86 whereby, when nose 84 is pivoted to the under side of arm 82, spring 70 will swing catch 62 and pawl 76 to the unlatching position of FIGURE 4, but when nose 84 is swung upwardly sufficiently on to the curved surface 88, the spring 70 will swing the catch 62 and pawl 76 to the latching position of FIGURE 3. In the later position, pawl arm 74 engages the right end of stop 69.

A dog-leg safety catch 90 is also pivoted on the pin 78 forwardly of pawl 76 to swing concentrically therewith. From pivot 78, the catch 90 extends leftward and then downward around pivot 64 to a keeper-engaging jaw 92 adapted to underlie the keeper 50 in spaced relationship at the closed position. Inclining rightwardly from the lower end of catch 90 to the right edge of jaw 92 is a keeper-engaging cam surface 94 arranged to swing catch 90 clockwise out of the path of keeper 50, FIGURE 4, upon downward closing movement of hood 20. Upon further closing movement of hood 20, the catch 90 is freed from keeper 50 to be swung counterclockwise into the latching position of FIGURE 3 by means of a spring 96 connected under tension to a rearwardly extending arm 98 of catch 90 and to a fixed tab 100 of plate 28, FIGURES 1 and 6. T o the right of pin 78, FIGURES 3 and 4, a shoulder 102 of catch 90 overlies a release arm 104 of pawl 76 so as to swing the latter downwardly and pivot pawl 76 clockwise from the latching position of FIGURE 3 to the unlatching position of FIGURE 4.

Extending rightward from shoulder 102, FIGURE 5, is an arm 106 of catch 90 underlying the rearward projection 42 of the release lever 36. Thus upon clockwise swinging of the latter, arm 106 is swung downwardly to swing shoulder 102 clockwise against the pawl arm 104 and thereby to swing the latter clockwise from the latching to the unlatching position. A reinforcing link 108 engages the forward ends of pivots 64 and 78 forwardly of safety catch 90 to hold the forward ends of these pivots in fixed relationship with respect to each other.

In order to swing the mechanism to the latching position, the hood 20 is merely swung downwardly toward keeper 50. As the latter engages cam surface 94, safety catch 90 is swung clockwise out of the path of keeper 50, enabling the latter to engage cam surface 66 and swing the main latch 62 counterclockwise from the unlatched to the latched position, FIGURES 4 and 3 respectively. Also as the hood 20 moves downwardly until the upper end of jaw 92 moves below the under surface of keeper 50, spring 96 then swings safety catch 90 counterclockwise to the latching position of FIGURES 2 and 3.

FIGURES 7-15 illustrate a modification of the present invention wherein the main latch and pawl are substantially the same as in the modification of FIGURES 1-6. The primary distinction from the above-described modification is that in FIGURES 7-12, the release arni 36 and safety catch 90 are combined in an integral element. Throughout the modifications of FIGURES 7-15, the various elements are numbered the same as the corresponding elements in FIGURES 1-6, except that the sufiix a is added to each reference numeral. As in the prior modification, a fragmentary portion of the front end of a vehicle hood 20a is illustrated having a vertical support panel 22a which is bolted to a vertical flange 24a of latch plate 28a by a plurality of bolts 30a. The

plane of the plate 28a extends transversely to the vertical mid-plane of the vehicle body.

In the present instance, a link 108a performs the function of link 108 and is provided with a vertical flange 32a parallel to the vertical mid-plane of the vehicle. Replacing the release lever 36, a combined safety catch and release lever 90a is pivoted on flange 32a by a pivot pin 38a for swinging in a vertical plane transversely to the plane of the latch plate 28a. From the pivot 38a, the safety catch 90a extends downwardly and is provided adjacent its lower forward edge with a suitable finger grip flange 40a adapted to be gripped by an operator reaching under the forward end of the hood 20a.

As in the modification of FIGURES 1-6, the latch plate 28a is provided with a keeper engaging notch 46a and flared mouth 48a for receiving the forward projecting keeper shaft 50a, FIGURES 7 and 10. A rearward portion 54a of keeper 50a extends at right angles to the latter, FIGURE 12, and is suitably secured to the forward projecting ends of a U-shaped bracket 56a secured to a fixed portion of the vehicle body by bolts 58a.

The main latch 62a with its pivot 64a and jaw 66a is substantially the same in construction and operation as the corresponding parts of FIGURES 1-6 and is yieldingly urged against stop 69a by spring 70a substantially in the manner described above. As in the earlier modification, the latch 62a is provided with the spring engaging arm 72a which is connected by means of spring 70a with the arm 74a of pawl 76a. The latter with its arm 82a and rounded shoulder 88a cooperate with the horizontal shoulder a, nose 84a, and concave seat 86a all in the manner above described in regard to the latch 62 and pawl 76.

Also in the manner of safety catch 90, the safety catch and releases lever combination 90a is provided with the lower keeper engaging cam 92a and jaw 94a which cooperate with the keeper portion 54a in the manner that the corresponding parts of safety catch 90 cooperate with keeper 50. In the above regard, it is to be noted that the safety catch 90a swings perpendicularly to the plane of the main latch 62a, whereas in FIGURES 1-6, safety catch 90 swings in parallelism with the main latch 62.

As indicated in FIGURE 8, when the safety catch 90a is swung counterclockwise by spring 96a to the latching position shown, the jaw 92a underlies keeper portion 54a in spaced relationship and an edge portion of the catch 90a abuts the keeper portion 54a which serves as a movement-limiting stop. Similarly to the spring 96, a spring 96a is connected under tension with a portion 98a of catch 90a and with an integral projection 100a of plate 28a so as to yieldingly urge safety catch 90a counterclockwise to the latching position.

Extending to the right in FIGURE 15 from pivot 38a is a projection 102a which overlies a release arm 104a extending from pawl 76a substantially in the manner of the above-described projection 104. Upon clockwise swinging of catch 90a from the latching position of FIGURE 8 to the unlatching position of FIGURE 15, as for example when the catch 90a is manually gripped at 40a and pulled forwardly, the projection 102a swings arm 104a clockwise in FIGURE 10 so as to swing the arcuate abutment surface 88a of pawl 76a out of engagement with concave shoulder 86a and to enable clockwise swinging of main latch 62a to the unlatching position of FIGURE 11. At this position the latch arm 72a engages stop 69a and the shoulder 80a engages shoulder 88a all in the manner above described in regard to the corresponding parts of FIGURES 1-6.

I claim:

1. In a latch control mechanism for releasably latchmg a hinged hood element to a car body element, a latch mounting base adapted for attachment for one of the elements and having bifurcated end portion defining a keeper receiving slot, a latch pivotally mounted on said base and .having a bifurcated portion formed of a striker finger and a latching finger defining a keeper engaging slot positioned to overlie the keeper receiving slot in a latched position and to rotate to one side of the keeper receiving slot in an unlatched position, a single nose on said latch formed by two intersecting cam faces, a manually operable safety catch pivotally carried by said base, having a hook rotatable between an unlatched position and a latched position disposed across said slot, said hook including an outer striker surface positioned for engagement by the keeper as the hood element is moved to closed position to deflect the safety catch to unlatched position and an inner edge disposed across the keeper receiving slot in spaced relation to the keeper engaging slot when the hook occupies the latched position, spring means for biasing the safety catch to latched position, manually operable means for moving the safety catch to unlatched position, a latch control pivotally mounted on said base on an axis laterally of the latch pivotal axis, one of said cam faces being disposed in approximately concentric relation with the latch control axis when the latch occupies the latched position, the latch control having a latch control finger on a peripheral edge thereof and a shoulder on a peripheral edge thereof spaced angularly from the latch control finger, spring means connected with said latch and latch control mutually biasing said latch and latch control toward each other to engage said finger against said nose, the latch control finger and said concentric cam face mutually coacting under the bias of said spring means to retain the latch in latching position, the rotative reaction of the latch striker finger when opposed by the keeper during closing movement of the hood being adapted to rotate the latch and thereby move the nose past the latch control finger and effect latching engagement of the latch control finger with the concentric cam face of the latch, and means on the safety catch engageable with said shoulder on the latch control during rotation of the latch in the direction of catch releasing adapted to rotate the latch control for disengaging said latch control finger from said concentric cam face and release the latch from latched position.

2. In a latch control mechanism for releasably latching a hinged hood element to a car body element, a keeper adapted for attachment to one of the elements, a latch mounting base adapted for attachment to the other of the elements and having a bifurcated end portion defining a keeper receiving slot, a latch pivotally mounted on said base and having a bifurcated portion formed of a striker finger and a latching finger defining a keeper engaging slot positioned to overlie the keeper receiving slot in a latched position and to rotate to one side of the keeper receiving slot in an unlatched position, a single nose on said latch formed by two intersecting cam faces, a manually operable safety catch pivotally carried by said base, having a hook rotatable between an unlatched position and a latched position disposed across said keeper, said hook including an outer striker surface positioned for engagement by the keeper as the hood element is moved to closed position to deflect the safety catch to unlatched position and an inner edge adapted to be disposed across the keeper in spaced relation to the keeper engaging slot when the hook occupies the latched position, spring means for biasing the safety catch to latched position, manually operable means for moving the safety catch to unlatched position, a latch control pivotally mounted on said base on an axis laterally of the latch pivotal axis, one of said cam faces being disposed in approximately concentric relation with the latch control axis when the latch occupies the latched position, the latch control having a latch control finger on a peripheral edge thereof and a shoulder on a peripheral edge thereof spaced angularly from the latch control finger, spring means connected with said latch and latch control mutually biasing said latch and latch control toward each other to engage said finger against said nose, the latch control finger and said concentric cam face mutually coacting under the bias of said spring means to retain the latch in latching position, the rotative reaction of the latch striker finger when opposed by the keeper during closing movement of the hood being adapted to rotate the latch and thereby move the nose past the latch control finger and effect latching engagement of the latch control finger with the concentric cam face of the latch, and means on the safety catch engageable with said shoulder on the latch control during rotation of the latch in the direction of catch releasing adapted to rotate the latch control for disengaging said latch control finger from said concentric cam face and release the latch from latched position.

3. A latch mechanism for releasably latching a hinged hood element to a car body element comprising in combination a latch mounting base adapted for mounting on one of said elements and having a bifurcated end portion defining a keeper receiving slot, a latch pivotally mounted on said base and having a bifurcated portion formed of a striker finger and a latching finger defining a keeper engaging slot positioned to overlie the keeper receiving slot in a latched position and to rotate to one side of the keeper receiving slot in an unlatched position, a single nose on said latch formed by two intersecting cam faces, a manually operable safety catch pivotally carried by said base in face to face overlying relationship with said latch, said safety catch having a hook rotatable between an unlatched position and a latched position disposed across said slot, said hook including an outer striker surface positioned for engagement by the keeper as the hood element is moved to closed position to deflect the safety catch to unlatched position, and an inner edge disposed across the keeper receiving slot in spaced relation to the keeper engaging slot when the hook occupies the latched position, spring means for biasing the safety catch to latched position, manually operable means for moving the safety catch to unlatched position, a pivot pin anchored in said mounting base passing through the latch and the safety catch for pivotally supporting the latch and safety catch on the base, a latch control pivotally mounted on said base on an axis laterally of and parallel to the latch pivotal axis and in approximately coplanar relation to the latch, one of said cam faces being disposed in approximately concentric relation with the latch control axis when the latch occupies the latched position, the latch control having a finger on a peripheral edge thereof and a shoulder on a peripheral edge thereof spaced angularly from the latch control finger, spring means connected with said latch and latch control mutually biasing said latch and latch control toward each other to engage said finger against said nose, the latch control finger and said concentric cam face mutually coacting under the bias of the spring means to retain the latch in latching position, and means on the safety catch engageable with said shoulder on the latch control during rotation of the safety catch in the direction of catch releasing to rotate said latch control for disengaging said latch control finger from the concentric cam face of the latch nose and the latch from latched position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,797,947 7/1957 Soroka 292l1 2,846,253 8/1958 Johnstone 29225 2,877,038 3/1959 Dramer 292-216 2,924,473 2/1960 Krause 2921l 3,010,749 11/1961 Brissette et al. 292-27 ALBERT H. KAMPE, Primary Examiner.

JOSEPH D. SEERS, Examiner. 

1. IN A LATCH CONTROL MECHANISM FOR RELEASABLY LATCHING A HINGED HOOD ELEMENT TO A CAR BODY ELEMENT, A LATCH MOUNTING BASE ADAPTED FOR ATTACHMENT FOR ONE OF THE ELEMENTS AND HAVING BIFURCATED END PORTION DEFINING A KEEPER RECEIVING SLOT, A LATCH PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID BASE AND HAVING A BIFURCATED PORTION FORMED OF A STRIKER FINGER AND A LATCHING FINGER DEFINING A KEEPER ENGAGING SLOT POSITION TO OVERLIE THE KEEPER RECEIVING SLOT IN A LATCHED POSITION AND TO ROTATE TO ONE SIDE OF THE KEEPER RECEIVING SLOT IN AN UNLATCHED POSITION, A SINGLE NOSE ON SAID LATCH FORMED BY TWO INTERSECTING CAM FACES, A MANUALLY OPERABLE SAFETY CATCH PIVOTALLY CARRIED BY SAID BASE, HAVING A HOOK ROTATABLE BETWEEN AN UNLATCHED POSITION AND A LATCHED POSITION DISPOSED ACROSS SAID SLOT, SAID HOOK INCLUDING AN OUTER STRIKER SURFACE POSITIONED FOR ENGAGEMENT BY THE KEEPER AS THE HOOD ELEMENT IS MOVED TO CLOSED POSITION TO DEFLECT THE SAFETY CATCH TO UNLATCH POSITION AND AN INNER EDGE DISPOSED ACROSS THE KEEPER RECEIVING SLOT IN SPACED RELATION TO THEKEEPER ENGAGING SLOT WHEN THE HOOK OCCUPIES THE LATCHED POSITION, SPRING MEANS FOR BIASING THE SAFETY CATCH TO LATCHED POSITION, MANUALLY OPERABLE MEANS FOR MOVING THE SAFETY CATCH TO UNLATCHED POSITION, A LATCH CONTROL PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID BASE ON AN AXIS LATERALLY OF THE LATCH PIVOTAL AXIS, ONE OF SAID CAM FACES BEING DISPOSED IN APPROXIMATELY CONCENTRIC RELATION WITH THE LATCH CONTROL AXIS WHEN THE LATCH OCCUPIES THE LATCHED POSITION, THE LATCH CONTROL HAVING A LATCH CONTROL FINGER ON A PERIPHERAL EDGE THEREOF AND A SHOULDER ON A PERIPHERAL EDGE THEREOF SPACED ANGULARLY FROM THE LATCH CONTROL FINGER, SPRING MEANS CONNECTED WITH SAID LATCH AND LATCH CONTROL MUTUALLY BIASING SAID LATCH AND LATCH CONTROL TOWARD EACH OTHER TO ENGAGE SAID FINGER AGAINST SAID NOSE, THE LATCH CONTROL FINGER AND SAID CONCENTRIC CAM FACE MUTUALLY COACTING UNDER THE BIAS OF SAID SPRING MEANS TO RETAIN THE LATCH IN LATCHING POSITION, THE ROTATIVE REACTION OF THE LATCH STRIKER FINGER WHEN OPPOSED BY THE KEEPER DURING CLOSING MOVEMENT OF THE HOOD BEING ADAPTED TO ROTATE THE LATCH AND THEREBY MOVE THE NOSE PAST THE LATCH CONTROL AND EFFECT LATCHING ENGAGEMENT OF THE LATCH CONTROL FINGER WITH THE CONCENTRIC CAM FACE OF THE LATCH, AND MEANS ON THE SAFETY CATCH ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID SHOULDER ON THE LATCH CONTROL DURING ROTATION OF THE LATCH IN THE DIRECTION OF CATCH RELEASING ADAPTED TO ROTATE THE LATCH CONTROL FOR DISENGAGING SAID LATCH CONTROL FINGER FROM SAID CONCENTRIC CAM FACE AND RELEASE THE LATCH FROM LATCHED POSITION. 